These 2019 American Muscle Cars Are the Fastest Ever

They deliver a horsepower high and clouds of tire smoke at bargain prices.

By
John Pearley Huffman

Nov 20, 2018

Car and DriverMarc Urbano

American muscle cars first appeared in the 1960s as manufacturers appealed to the massive baby-boomer generation. Boomers wanted power and excitement, and they got it thanks to big V-8 engines, and at affordable prices no less. Detroit marketing used everything from racing participation to cartoon birds—remember the Plymouth Road Runner?—to sell boomers the hot cars they craved.

Notoriously, classic muscle cars were quick in a straight line but sloppy when going around corners and loath to stop quickly. Today, however, their chassis are supple, responsive, and vastly more capable. Plus the brakes actually work.

Right now, American muscle is a high-performance bargain. The 460-hp Mustang GT coupe starts at $36,350, while BMW's 444-hp M4 coupe with the Competition package is $74,895. That's undeniable value. Here's the list of today's great American muscle cars.

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Chris Doane Automotive

2019 Chevrolet Camaro

275–650 HP

It's tough to see out of any current Camaro coupe thanks to its gun-slit windows, but it's easy to see that this sixth generation of the car is easily the most sophisticated and satisfying to drive. The top ZL1 with its 650-hp supercharged 6.2-liter V-8 will rip to 60 mph in only 3.5 seconds. If you don't want quite that much power, you can have your Camaro motivated by either a 455-hp V-8, a 335-hp V-6, or a 275-hp turbocharged inline-four.

The entire world knows the Mustang. This iconic car has been in production without interruption since 1964. The latest Mustang coupe and convertible are available with a 310-hp 2.3-liter four, but it's the 5.0-liter Coyote V-8 that brings the real muscle to this pony. With dual overhead cam heads and four valves per cylinder, it screams out a giddy wail as it approaches its 7400-rpm redline. The Coyote in the regular GT is rated at 460 horses, while that bumps up to 480 hp in the limited-production Bullitt, named after the 1968 Steve McQueen movie. The 526-hp 5.2-liter version of the Coyote in the Shelby GT350 spins to 8250 rpm and sounds like a banshee singing Strauss's Die Fledermaus.

The current Challenger has been in production since the 2008 model year and, even at age 12, its looks are stunning. It's offered in a dizzying number of variations. The basic SXT uses the 305-hp V-6, but it's the legendary Hemi V-8, in 5.7-, 6.4-, and supercharged 6.2-liter displacements, that brings the car its snarl. The supercharged Hellcat model is rated at 707 horsepower, but if that's not enough there's the limited-production Redeye version at 797 horsepower. The hottest Challenger, the Demon, is street drivable but developed primarily to roar down drag strips. It can produce up to 840 horsepower on 100-octane racing fuel.

The two-door Challenger and four-door Charger share most of their basic structure and suspension design. And the Charger powertrains parallel those of its two-door brother—to a point. There is a 707-hp Charger Hellcat but no 797-hp Redeye. However, there is a police-package Charger that may be appearing in a rearview mirror near you soon.

America's plastic-bodied two-seat legend is actually now a range of models that goes all the way up to the mighty ZR1 with a 755-hp supercharged 6.2-liter V-8 and a top speed of around 212 mph. The rest of the line is available with either a 650-hp 6.2-liter supercharged V-8 or a naturally aspirated version of the same engine that rings in at 460 horsepower.

The V is Cadillac's mild-mannered CTS luxury sedan turned into a fire-breathing beast thanks to the same supercharged 6.2-liter V-8 used in Chevy's Corvette Z06 and Camaro ZL1. In the Caddy, it's a rip-roaring riot of almost ridiculous ability that will show its taillights to far more expensive Europe-made alternatives.

The ATS-V is the only muscle machine here not powered by a V-8. Instead, a twin-turbocharged V-6 rated at 464 horsepower provides motivation in the tradition of the turbocharged V-6 Buick Grand National produced between 1984 and 1987. The compact, rear-drive luxury-class ATS-V competes against cars including the BMW M3 and M4 and the Audi RS3 and S4.